Door and method of manufacturing

ABSTRACT

A door construction is illustrated with plural bumpers formed during the door manufacturing process. Respective sets of edges of the door body, such as trailing edges of door panel sections of the door body and top edges of the door panel sections, may be trimmed to establish the width and the height of the desired door. A closure or spacer member may be used to connect the trimmed edges. The door may be supported by a hinge assembly for pivoting about an upright pivot axis. The door body may be a monolithic one-piece construction, apart from any such closure members, and optional any window and window support. The door body may be formed by rotational molding.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application is based on provisional patent application No.60/431,369, filed on Dec. 6, 2002. The entire disclosure of theprovisional application is considered to be part of the disclosure ofthe following application and is hereby incorporated by referenceherein.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to doors and a door manufacturing methodand has particular applicability to traffic doors through whichproduct-carrying carts and racks pass.

Impact resistant traffic doors of various constructions are known. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,865 to Johnson et al. discloses aninsulated plastic molded door with integral hinge formed by rotationalmolding and filled with a foam filler. A bumper B is mounted to a lowerportion of the door of this patent beneath a window W. The bumper B isformed by bending sheet material and fastening the sheet material to thedoor utilizing a plurality of fasteners. Doors of this type have beenmade with a similar bumper secured by fasteners to a portion of the doorabove the window W, although typically the upper bumper is narrower(shorter in height) than the lower bumper.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,972 to Eckel is understood to disclose a door havingvacuum formed face panels mounted to door frame components includingtop, bottom, left side and right side peripheral frame members andinterior cross-pieces. The face panels have contoured protuberancesadapted to function as bumpers. In an illustrated form in FIG. 1, thesebumpers are horizontally extending elongated protuberances having anelliptically curved contour in cross-section. In FIG. 1, theseprotuberances are three in number, are spaced apart, and are generallyof an elongated oval shape. Matching protuberances project from theopposing front and back panels. In the illustrated Eckel doorconstruction, a substantial number of component pieces are required tomanufacture this door.

Although high impact traffic doors are known, a need nevertheless existsfor an improved door of this type and also an improved method ofmanufacturing such a door. The invention is not limited to the specificembodiments described herein, but instead encompasses all novel andnon-obvious aspects of the door and method set forth in the descriptionbelow, both alone and in various subcombinations and combination withone another as set forth in the claims.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a door comprises a body comprised of a first panelsection with an associated outwardly facing major surface and a secondpanel section with an associated outwardly facing major surface. Thedoor body also comprises top and bottom edge portions, a trailing edgeportion adapted for pivoting about an upright pivot axis when the dooris in use, and a leading edge portion spaced from the trailing edgeportion. Each of the first and second panel sections comprises at leastone first elongated bumper projecting outwardly from the associatedmajor surface and at least one second elongated bumper projectingoutwardly from the associated major surface and positioned below thefirst bumper. In addition, the at least one first bumper and at leastone second bumper and associated major surface are of a unitaryone-piece integral construction. Furthermore, in accordance with oneembodiment, a window may be positioned at least partially between thefirst and second bumpers.

As another aspect of an embodiment, the first and second panel sectionsmay comprise a first bumper set comprising a plurality of firstelongated bumpers and a second bumper set comprising a plurality ofsecond elongated bumpers. As a more specific embodiment, the firstbumper set may comprise parallel spaced apart transversely extendingfirst bumpers and the second bumper set may comprise parallel spacedapart transversely extending second bumpers. As one specific example,there may be two of said first bumpers in the first bumper set andtwelve of the second bumpers in the second bumper set.

In accordance with another aspect of an embodiment, the first and secondbumpers may have a longitudinal axis which is horizontal when the dooris in use. Also, the panel sections may have no bumpers other than thebumpers of the first and second bumper sets.

As another aspect of an embodiment, all of the first bumpers of thefirst bumper set may be of the same size and shape and all of the secondbumpers of the second bumper set may be of the same size and shape. Inaddition, as another alternative, all of the first and second bumpersmay be of the same size and shape. Although variable, one or more of thebumpers of the first and second bumper sets may be of a stretchedteardrop shape.

In accordance with another aspect of an embodiment, at least one of thefirst and at least one of the second bumpers may extend from respectivepositions adjacent to the leading edge portion of the door and towardthe trailing edge portion of the door. More specifically, as analternative, all of the first and second bumpers may extend fromrespective positions adjacent to the leading edge portion of the doorand toward the trailing edge portion of the door.

As another aspect of an embodiment, each of the at least one firstbumper and at least one second bumper may extend in a transversedirection a distance which is greater than one-half the width of thedoor.

As a further aspect of an embodiment, at least one first bumper and atleast one second bumper may project outwardly to a greater extent fromthe major surface at least at a first location nearer to the leadingedge portion of the door body than at a second location nearer to thetrailing edge portion. In addition, as a more specific aspect of analternative embodiment, the at least one first bumper and at least onesecond bumper may project outwardly from the major surface aprogressively greater extent moving from a location nearer to thetrailing edge portion toward a location adjacent to the leading edgeportion. In a specific embodiment, the leading edge portion of the doorbody may be thicker than the trailing edge portion of the door body.

The door body, in accordance with an embodiment, has an outer perimeter.In this specific embodiment, the door may lack vertical and horizontalframe members between the front and rear door body panel sections atlocations spaced inwardly of the outer perimeter of the door body. Inaddition, the door may be a non-insulated door without foam positionedbetween the major panels of the door.

The door may have a door body which has front and rear panel sectionsinterconnected by at least one edge portion. In this embodiment, atleast the front and rear panel sections, with any bumper projectionsthereon, and the at least one interconnecting edge section are of aone-piece monolithic construction of a polymeric material. The phraseone-piece monolithic construction refers to a door body components whichare of one material and which are formed of one piece without aplurality of components being interconnected to form the construction.Desirably, the door body is formed by rotational molding.

In a specific construction, the door is designed for mounting to adoorframe for pivoting about an upright door pivot axis. An elongatedclosure member may be positioned along the top edge portions of thepanel sections of the door body with the closure member being coupled tothe first and second panel sections. One or more reinforcements orspacers may be positioned between the first and second panel sections atthe trailing edge portion of the door body. A gasket may be mounted tothe leading edge portion of the door body. In addition, a hingepivotally couples the door to the doorframe such that the door ispivotal about the upright door pivot axis. The hinge may take anysuitable form. As a specific desirable example, the hinge may have aspine with spaced apart legs which define an elongated upright channelbetween them for receiving at least a portion of the trailing edgeportion of the door body and more specifically a portion of the firstand second panel sections and any spacer positioned therebetween.

In accordance with an alternative embodiment, the door may comprise adoor body having first and second door panel sections each of whichcomprises an outwardly facing major surface, a leading edge portion, atrailing edge portion, and top and bottom edge portions. In addition,this construction may comprise a leading edge section which joinstogether the leading edge portions of the first and second door panelsections. Also, a plurality of projections extends outwardly from themajor surfaces of the first and second door panel sections. In thisembodiment, the first and second door panel sections, the leading edgesection and at least a plurality of the projections are a moldedone-piece monolithic construction, such as of a polymer material.

The embodiment of the preceding paragraph may also have an optionalwindow with a plurality of projections positioned above the window and aplurality of the projections positioned below the window. The leadingedge section may have a longitudinal axis extending in a first directionwith at least a plurality of the projections being elongated withrespective longitudinal axes which are perpendicular to the firstdirection. In addition, a plurality of the projections may be offset to,for example, position at least a majority of each of such plurality ofprojections nearer to the leading edge section than the trailing edgeportion.

Although the projections may be of a variety of shapes, the onedesirable form, the projections have a height to length ratio of lessthan 0.15.

In another embodiment, a door is designed for mounting within a doorwayso as to pivot about an upright pivot axis. In this embodiment, the doorcomprises first and second panel sections each of which comprises atrailing edge portion; at least one spacer disposed at least in partbetween the trailing edge portion of said first and second panelsections; an elongated spine, the spine defining a channel for receivingat least a portion of the trailing edge portion of the first and secondpanel sections, the spine defining first and second elongated hingeopenings which communicate with respective first and second hingereceiving pocket portions of a spine passageway; wherein when the dooris installed, the second hinge opening faces upwardly and the firsthinge opening faces downwardly and the second hinge opening ispositioned above the first hinge opening; a first cam member is sizedfor insertion through the first hinge opening and into the first hingereceiving pocket portion with the first cam member being mounted withinthe first hinge receiving pocket portion, the first cam member has afirst cam surface which is angled relative to the pivot axis and whichfaces the first hinge opening; a first door installation bracket isadapted for mounting to a lower portion of the doorway; a second cammember is coupled to the first bracket and has a second cam surfacewhich is angled relative to the pivot axis; a portion of the second cammember is inserted through the first hinge opening and into the firsthinge pocket portion with the respective first and second cam surfacesfacing one another; a stop is sized for insertion through the secondhinge opening and into the second hinge receiving pocket portion, thestop is mounted within the second hinge receiving pocket portion; asecond door installation bracket is adapted for mounting to an upperportion of the doorway; a plug is coupled to the second bracket with aportion of the plug being inserted through the second hinge opening andinto the second hinge receiving pocket portion; a biasing spring ispositioned within the second hinge receiving pocket portion and betweenthe stop and plug, the biasing spring is adapted to apply a biasingforce through the spine to the first cam member; whereby upon pivotingof the door about the pivot axis, the first and second cam surfaces arepivoted relative to one another to create a gap between such surfaceswith the biasing spring urging the first cam surface toward the secondcam surface to close the gap and close the door following pivoting ofthe door.

As a further aspect of the above embodiment, the first bracket maycomprise a first support post which is oriented to project upwardly whenthe first bracket is installed in a doorway, the second cam member maydefine a first support post receiving opening with the first supportpost being inserted into the first post receiving opening; the secondcam member may also be connected to the first bracket to thereby mountthe second cam member to the first bracket; the second bracket maycomprise a second support post which is oriented to project downwardlywhen the second bracket is installed in the doorway; the plug may definea second support post receiving opening positioned to receive the secondsupport post to thereby couple the plug to the second bracket.

As yet another aspect of the above embodiment, the biasing spring maycomprise a coil spring with first and second end portions; the first endportion of the coil spring being below the second end portion of thecoil spring when the door is installed in the doorway; the doorembodiment further comprising at least one spacer between the stop andfirst end portion of the coil spring and at least one spacer between thesecond end portion coil of the coil spring and the plug.

In accordance with a method of making a door, a door shell-skin ismolded and comprises first and second panel sections each with a leadingedge portion and a trailing edge portion. The panel sections alsocomprise top and bottom edge portions. At least one of the sets ofadjacent edge portions of the panel sections, such as the leading edgeportions, are joined together during molding of the door shell skin.Desirably, both the leading edge portions and bottom edge portions arejoined together during molding and more desirably all of the sets ofedge portions of the panel sections are joined together during molding.The act of molding may also comprise the act of molding a plurality ofoutwardly projecting elongated bumpers into the first and second panelsections. In accordance with the method, the trailing edge portions ofthe panel sections may be trimmed to provide a door of the desired widthand at least one spacer may be inserted at least partially between thefirst and second panel sections along at least a portion of the trailingedge of the respective first and second panel sections. In addition, atleast one of the sets of top edge portions and bottom edge portions, anddesirably only the top edge portion, may be trimmed if necessary toprovide a door of the desired height. A cap or closure member may bepositioned along the trimmed top and/or bottom edges. This method allowsthe production of doors of various heights and widths from a singlemold. Desirably, the spacer and cap members are installed following anysuch trimming to establish the height and width of the door.

As yet another aspect of an exemplary method, the method comprises theact of installing a gasket along the leading edge of the door and ahinge coupling spine along the trailing edge of the door.

Again, it should be noted that the invention is directed toward noveland non-obvious aspects of a door construction and method as describedbelow, both alone and in various subcombinations and combinations withone another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of a door inaccordance with the present invention shown mounted for pivoting aboutan upright axis to door frame components.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the door of FIG. 1, taken alongline 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a turret-type station apparatus usablein rotational molding a door in accordance with FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a partially broken away top view of a portion of a spinedesigned to receive a portion of trimmed trailing edge portions of firstand second panel sections and a spacer or reinforcement at the trailingedge of the door body.

FIG. 5 is a partially broken away view of an upper section of the doorshowing a portion of a closure member positioned to close the gapbetween the first and second panel sections at trimmed upper edges ofthe door panel sections.

FIG. 6 is a partially broken away sectional view of a portion of thedoor of FIG. 1, taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a partially broken away sectional view of a bottom section ofthe door, taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 1, and illustrating the bottomedge portions of the door body panel sections joined during molding ofthis specific door embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a partially broken away perspective view of an assembled hingewhich may be used to mount the door of FIG. 1 for pivoting about anupright door pivot axis.

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the hinge of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of one form of a mold which may beused to form the door of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view, taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10,showing portions of the front and back mold components of the mold ofFIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a horizontal sectional view of the mold of FIG. 10, takenalong line 12-12 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a circled portion of the mold of FIG. 12,the circled portion being designated by FIG. 13 in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of a circled portion of the mold of FIG. 12,the circled portion being designated by FIG. 14 in FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a partially broken away and exploded view of embodiments ofmold components which may be used to support an elongated gasketreceiving retainer which may be positioned along the leading edge of thedoor during the door molding process.

FIG. 16 illustrates the door gasket receiving retainer supported by themold components prior to positioning the mold components together.

FIG. 17 is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of the mold of FIG.10, taken along line 17-17 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of a circled portion of the mold of FIG. 17,the circled portion being designated by FIG. 18 in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of a circled portion of the mold of FIG. 17,the circled portion being designated by FIG. 19 in FIG. 17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIGS. 1-7, an embodiment of a door in accordance withthe present invention is disclosed by way of an example. The inventionis not limited to this specific door construction.

More specifically, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a door 10 comprisesa door shell or body comprising a first panel section 12 with anassociated outwardly facing major surface 14 and a second panel section16 with an associated outwardly facing major surface 18 (FIG. 2). Themajor surfaces may correspond to the front and rear of the door. Thedoor body also comprises respective top and bottom edge portions 20,22(the top and bottom referring to the respective upper and lower edgeportions when the door is installed in an upright orientation as shownin FIGS. 1 and 2). The door body also comprises a trailing edge portion26, hidden by a spine of one form of hinge used to support the door asdescribed more fully below. In addition, the door body also comprises aleading edge portion 28 (FIG. 1) spaced from and opposite to thetrailing edge portion 26.

The illustrated first panel section 12 comprises at least one firstelongated bumper projecting outwardly from the associated major surface14. There are a plurality of such first bumpers in the illustrated door10 which are indicated by the numbers 30 in FIGS. 1 and 2. Morespecifically, the bumpers 30 comprise a first set of bumpers. Bumpers 30may be varied in number, size and shape. In the FIGS. 1 and 2 form ofdoor body there are two such bumpers 30. The panel section 16 also has acorresponding first set of bumpers, indicated by numbers 30 a in FIG. 2.Although not required, the bumpers 30 a may be identical in number tothe bumpers 30 and may be aligned such that each bumper 30 has anopposed bumper 30 a. In addition, the first panel section 12 of the FIG.1 form of door also comprises at least one second elongated bumperprojecting outwardly from the associated major surface 14. There are aplurality of such second bumpers in the illustrated door 10, some ofwhich are indicated by the number 32. In the FIG. 1 embodiment, thereare 12 of such second bumpers 32. The panel section 16 also comprises atleast one elongated second bumper projecting outwardly from theassociated major surface 18. In the illustrated embodiment, a pluralityof such second bumpers are provided, some of which are indicated by thenumber 32 a in FIG. 2. Thus in FIGS. 1 and 2, a second set of bumperscomprising a plurality of bumpers 32 and 32 a are included in the doorbody. The bumpers 32 a are desirably, although not necessarily, of thesame size and shape and are positioned in opposed and alignedrelationship with the bumpers 32.

In the FIGS. 1 and 2 embodiment, a window 40, typically of a transparentdurable material, such as ¼ inch thick acrylic plastic, is coupled by agasket 42 to the respective first and second panel sections 12,16.Gasket 42 may be of any suitable material, such as PVC. As can be seenin FIG. 2, a window shaped opening is provided through the respectivepanel sections 12,16. The illustrated window opening is surrounded by aborder which interconnects the panel sections and which is formed, inthis example, during molding. The gasket or window support 42, in theform shown, has an inwardly extending peripheral groove for receivingthe outer peripheral edge of the window 40. Although variable, a typicalwindow may be positioned 40 inches above the height of the finishedfloor 44 (FIG. 1) and may have at least a 210 square inch visible area.

In the FIGS. 1 and 2 form of door body, the bumpers 30 of the first setare positioned above the bumpers 32 of the second set. In addition, thewindow 40 is desirably positioned at least partially between a first ofthe bumpers 30 and a second of the bumpers 32. More specifically, in theFIG. 1 embodiment, the window 40 is positioned entirely between thefirst and second sets of bumpers.

The first bumper set in the illustrated embodiment comprises parallelspaced apart transversely extending bumpers 30. The bumpers 30 areelongated and, in the illustrated form, have a longitudinal axis whichextends transversely across a portion of the associated major surface ofthe door body. In a particularly desirable form, the longitudinal axesof the bumpers 30 extend horizontally when the door is mounted and thusare perpendicular to the leading edge of the door. In the FIG. 1embodiment, all of the bumpers 30 are of the same size and shape,although this is not required. In addition, the illustrated bumpers 30are of a stretched teardrop shape. Alternatively, the bumpers 30 mayhave a “bat” shape described as being similar to the shape of theportion of a baseball bat which remains above a horizontal water surfacewhen the bat is submerged to position the bat handle underwater with thelongitudinal axis of the bat horizontal. At least one of the bumpers 30,and desirably all of them if a plurality of bumpers is included in thefirst set of bumpers, extends from a position adjacent to the leadingedge portion of the door and toward the trailing edge portion of thedoor. Desirably, the bumpers 30 extend in a transverse direction adistance which is greater than one-half the width of the door. In theconstruction of FIG. 1, a plurality of the bumpers 30 are elongated andare offset to position a substantial portion, such as a majority of atleast half, of each bumper nearer to the leading edge 28 than thetrailing edge 26 of the door body. The bumpers 30 of the form shown inFIG. 1 are tapered. In addition, the bumpers 30 project outwardly to agreater extent from the major surface at least at a first locationnearer to the leading edge portion of the door body than at a secondlocation nearer to the trailing edge portion. More specifically, in adesirably embodiment, the bumpers 30 project outwardly from theassociated major surface 14 a progressively greater extent moving from afirst location near the trailing edge portion of the door body toward asecond location near the leading edge portion of the door body.Consequently, if impacted by a bread rack or other product carrier, theproduct carrier tends to slide along the bumpers 30 as the productcarrier moves through the doorway with the shape of the bumpersassisting in generating a door opening force as the product carriermoves through the doorway.

The characteristics of the bumpers 30 described above also desirablyapply to the bumpers 30 a, 32 and 32 a of the FIGS. 1 and 2 embodiments.In addition, in this specific embodiment, the only bumpers included inpanel section 12 are the first set of bumpers 30 and the second set ofbumpers 32. In addition, the only bumpers included in panel 16 are thefirst set of bumpers 30 a and the second set of bumpers 32 a. Althoughthe configuration, size and shape of the bumpers illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2 are particularly desirable, bumpers of other sizes, shapes,combinations and orientations may be included in other embodiments of adoor of the type illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Also, although lessdesirable, the bumpers may be separate pieces or eliminated. In theconstruction of FIGS. 1 and 2, an insulation material, such as a foamfiller, is not necessary. However, insulation, such as foam, may beincluded in a less desirable embodiment. In addition, although frameelements may be included between the respective panel sections 12,16, inthe FIGS. 1 and 2 door construction any vertical and horizontal framecomponents positioned inwardly of the outer perimeter of the door bodymay be omitted. In this description, the border to the window opening 40and the gasket 42 are not considered to be a frame member.

Desirably, the first and second panel sections 12,16 and at least one ofthe sets of adjacent edge portions of these panel sections (e.g., theset of top edges, set of bottom edges, set of leading edges and/or setof trailing edges) are of a one-piece monolithic construction, such asmolded of polymer. In one desirable approach, each of the sets of edgesis joined together by an edge portion which is of a monolithic one-piececonstruction with the first and second door panel sections. Selectededge sections may then be trimmed to adjust the width and/or height ofthe door body. For example, the trailing edge portion of panel sectionsmay be trimmed to adjust the width of the door and the top edge portionof the panel sections may be trimmed to adjust the height of the door.In this case, the panel sections 12,16 and at least the leading edgeportions are of a one-piece monolithic construction. If the bottom edgesection is untrimmed, a bottom edge portion of the door body joins thefirst and second panel sections and is also of a one-piece monolithicconstruction with the panel sections and leading edge portion. A plasticsuch as linear low polyethylene may be used for the door body. The panelsections 12,16 may be of a variable thickness, with ⅛-inch thick panelsbeing a specific example.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate one specific form of leading edge construction28. As best seen in FIG. 7, the leading edge 28 may comprise a leadingedge section 50 which joins the leading edges of panels 12 and 16together. Leading edge section 50 and panels 12 and 16 again may be of amonolithic one-piece construction as best seen in FIG. 7. The edgesection 50, in this example, defines an optional inwardly extendinggasket retainer receiving pocket 52 with an enlarged rearwardmostportion. A gasket retainer 60 is captured in pocket 52. Gasket retainer60, in the form shown, is of a generally U-shaped configuration incross-section. The illustrated retainer 60 comprises an enlarged baseportion 61 and first and second leg portions 62,64 which extend towardthe leading edge of the door. Leg portions 62 and 64 are spaced apartfrom one another to define a channel leading to the base 61 of theretainer 60. The retainer 60 may be captured by leading edge section 50during molding of the door body. A gasket 70 of a suitable material,such as rubber, may be inserted into the retainer 60. In the form shown,gasket 70 is conventional and is generally of a T-shape cross-sectionwith a gasket face 72 and a leg portion 74 which projects rearwardlyinto the retainer 60. Leg portion 74 may have an enlarged distal endwhich is compressed during insertion of the gasket such that retainerlegs 62,64 cooperate with one another to apply a retaining force to holdthe enlarged distal end portion of the gasket within retainer base 61.One or more screws or other fasteners may extend through the panels12,16, the walls of the end section 50 which define the retainerreceiving pocket, the retainer legs 62,64 and the leg 74 of gasket 70 toprevent the retainer and gasket from shifting upwardly or downwardly asthe door is used.

The lower edges of the panels 12,16 in FIG. 7 are shown joined togetherin this door construction by a bottom edge section 80. The bottom edgesection 80 and panels 12,16 are, in this example, of a monolithicone-piece construction and are formed during manufacture of the doorbody, such as during molding of the door body. The top and rear edges ofthe door body panel sections may be joined together, such as by asimilar edge section, like section 80, which may also be of a monolithicintegral one-piece monolithic construction with the panels 12,16.Alternatively, one or both of the sets of top and bottom edges of thepanels may be trimmed to establish the height of the door. The trimmededges may then be interconnected by a closure member, such as a spacer,or a cap piece. The closure member may partially or entirely close thegap between the trimmed panel section edges. In a particularly desirableconstruction, only one of the sets of top and bottom edges is trimmed toestablish the height of the door. Specifically, the bottom edge may beformed as shown in FIG. 7 as an integral one-piece bottom section 80while the top edges of the respective door panels may be trimmed, ifnecessary, to adjust the height of the door.

For example, in FIG. 5, the top edges 82,84 of the respective panels12,16 have been trimmed so as to thereby eliminate any top joiningsection formed integral with the panels 12 and 16. A closure member,such as a cap 86, is positioned at least partially along, and moredesirably entirely along, any open portion or gap between edges 82,84,so as to close the space between these edges and reinforce the door atthis location. Although less desirable, cap 86 may be of a plural piececonstruction. The illustrated member 86 is shown as an inverted U-shapedconstruction having a base 88 with downwardly projecting leg portions90,92. Portions 90,92 are secured by fasteners, or more desirablysolvent welded, to the upper edge portions of panels 12,16. Although notrequired, in the construction shown in FIG. 5, the legs 90,92 arepositioned inside the respective panels 12,16.

The gasket 70 comprises a conventional bull nosed gasket in the formshown. Blade gaskets may be used as an alternative. Also, the gasket 70and associated gasket support structure may be eliminated, although thisis less desirable. Typically, the retainer 60 is of a durable materialsuch as aluminum. The retainer may comprise an elongated extrudedmember.

The door may be thicker at the leading edge (including at locationsbetween the bumpers) than at the trailing edge of the door. For example,in FIG. 6, it is apparent that the leading edge portion 28 of the doorbody is thicker than portions of the door body toward the trailing edgethereof. As a specific example, at the trailing edge the door thicknessbetween the major surfaces 14,18 of the panels may be slightly greaterthan one inch. In contrast, at its widest point (separate from thebumpers) the leading edge portion of the door may be about 2.5 inchesthick.

As a specific example, in the FIG. 1 construction, the longitudinalcenterlines of the respective bumpers may be about three inches apart.In addition, these exemplary bumpers may be 25½ inches long, which isabout 60 percent of the width of a typical door. However, the door widthmay vary, with 30 inches to 42 inches being typical door widths.

In the FIG. 1 construction, the maximum height (top to bottom height) ofan individual bumper may, for example, be three inches. In this case,the height to length ratio is about 0.12 and in a desirable constructionthe height to length ratio is less than or equal to 0.15. Also, althoughvariable, the bumpers may, for example, project outwardly a maximumdistance of about 1.4 inches from the centerline of the door with atotal maximum thickness of the door including aligned bumpers at suchlocation being about 2.8 inches.

FIG. 4 illustrates the trailing edge portion 26 of the door bodyfollowing trimming of trailing edge portions of the panel sections12,14. In the construction of FIG. 4, an elongated hinge spine 100 isprovided. Spine 100 comprises a body portion 102 which defines anelongated hinge-receiving passageway 104 which, in FIG. 4, is ofcircular cross-section. The spine body 102 also comprises first andsecond outwardly projecting leg portions 106,108 which define a channeltherebetween for receiving at least a portion of the trailing edgeportions of the respective panels 12,16. The trailing edges of panels12,16 in this case may be trimmed to establish the width of the doorprior may be positioning the trailing edge of the door into thespine-receiving channel. In addition, a spacer 110 is positioned atleast in part between the trailing edge portions of the respective firstand second panels 12,16. Spacer 110 is typically of a durable material,such as PVC or ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene. Spacer 110 maybe somewhat wedge-shaped solid piece with the thickness nearest the baseof the spine channel being less than the thickness at a location spacedfrom the base of the channel. These thicknesses are selected such thatthe spine legs 106,108 are spread slightly apart from one another as thetrailing edge 26 of the door is inserted into the spine-receivingchannel. In an alternative construction shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, thespacer 110 comprises a base 113 with spaced apart legs 115,117projecting toward the base of the spine channel from base 113. In thisexample, the spacer 110 may be U-shaped as shown. The spacer may beformed of plural pieces, but desirably, is a single piece that extendsfrom spacer 86 and along substantially the full height of the door body.The spacer 110 may be an extruded piece and is desirably coupled topanel sections 12,16. Fasteners, or more desirably adhesive or solventwelding may be used for this purpose. In FIG. 4, the outer surfaces oflegs 115,117 are mounted to the interior surfaces of the respectivepanel sections. With the construction shown in FIG. 4, the trailingedges of the spacer legs and of the panel sections may be squeezed orotherwise urged toward one another to facilitate insertion of thetrailing edges into the spine receiving channel. The spine 100 may be anextruded spine member of a durable material, such as aluminum.Typically, rivets, detachable fasteners such as bolts, or otherfasteners are used to secure the spine to the trailing edge portion ofthe door. Adhesive may also be used, with or without these fasteners, asan alternative. It should be noted that other hinge mechanisms may beused for supporting the door for pivoting about an upright pivot axis.

The door body may be manufactured in any convenient manner. Desirably,the door may be molded. Rotational molding, such as described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,528,865, is a desirable approach for manufacturing the doorbody shell.

Referring to FIG. 3, rotational molding is relatively easy tounderstand. Schematically, a turret-type multiple station rotationalmolding station 120 is illustrated. The molding station 120 comprises amold loading station 122, a mold rotating station 124, a mold coolingstation 126 and a product discharge station 128. At the end ofrotational molding, there is discharged a hollow door body shell, suchas of the type previously described with bumpers 30,32. An insulatingmaterial, such as foam, may be injected into the door body followingcooling of the door body and assembly of gap closing members in theevent selected edges of the door body are trimmed. However, a hollowcore non-insulated door is a desirable construction. It should also benoted that the window opening may be formed during molding of the doorbody. Alternatively, the window opening may be formed subsequent toforming the door body, as by cutting the window opening in the doorpanel sections, although this is less desirable.

The door body is formed in a mold, such as described below, which mayinclude two major components, namely a mold base and a mold cover. Thedoor body abutting surfaces of the mold may all be coated with a releaseagent coating to facilitate discharge of the completed door body fromthe mold. Granular plastic, such as 35-mesh standard rotational moldinggrade linear low polyethylene, is placed in the mold with the door shellthen being rotationally molded. The plastic melts and adheres to theinterior surfaces of the mold to form a hollow plastic door body shellhaving the first and second panel sections with the major surfaces fromwhich the bumpers project, the leading edge portion interconnecting theleading edge portions of the panel sections, a bottom edge sectioninterconnecting the bottom edge portions of the panel sections, a topedge section interconnecting the top edge portions of the panelsections, and a trailing edge section interconnecting the trailing edgeportions of the panel sections. The window opening and window openingboundary may also be formed during the molding process. The rotationallymolded hollow door is then discharged from the mold following cooling.Thereafter, the door height and width may be adjusted, if necessary, bytrimming the appropriate edges of the door such as the trailing edgeportions of the panels 12,16 and the top edge portions of the panels.Closure members, such as cap 86 and spacer 110 (FIG. 5) may then beinstalled. During molding, as previously mentioned, the gasket retainer60 may be supported within the mold such that it is captured by theleading edge portion 50 (FIG. 7) of the door during the molding process.

With this manufacturing method, a single mold may be used to producedoors of varying heights and widths even though the door bodies arerotationally molded.

As an alternative, the leading edges of the door panels may be trimmedto establish the door width with a spacer, such as spacer 110 or othercomponent, which may include a gasket retainer, then inserted betweenthe leading edge portions of the panels 12,16. However, this is a lessdesirable approach.

An exemplary hinge structure for the door of FIGS. 1 and 2 isillustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 for supporting the door for pivoting ineither direction, indicated by double-headed arrow 111, about an uprightor vertical pivot axis 112. The illustrated hinge construction comprisesa first door installation bracket 120 which may be of angularconstruction with an upright wall portion 122 and a base portion 124.Bracket 120, as can be seen in FIG. 1, is adapted for mounting to alower portion of a doorway within which the door 10 is to swing. Theillustrated hinge assembly also comprises a second door installationbracket 130. Bracket 130 may also be of an angular constructioncomprising a wall portion 132 and a support portion 134 which projectsoutwardly from the wall portion. Bracket 130 is adapted for mounting toan upper portion of the doorway, as can be seen in FIG. 1. Suitablefastener receiving openings (unnumbered in FIGS. 8 and 9) may beprovided in the respective bracket portions 122,124,132,134 forreceiving screws or other fasteners for anchoring the respectivebrackets 120,130 to the respective doorway portions. The spine 100defines a first opening 140 leading to a lower or first elongated pocketportion of the spine passageway 104. When the hinge is mounted in thedoorway, opening 140 faces downwardly. The spine also defines a secondhinge receiving opening 142, which communicates with an upper or secondelongated hinge receiving pocket portion of the spine passageway 104.Opening 142 faces upwardly when the door is installed in a doorway.

A first cam member 150 is sized for insertion through opening 140 andinto the lower hinge-receiving pocket portion of passageway 104. Cam 150is mounted within passageway 104, such as by first and second mountingscrews threaded into openings provided in spine 100 and into respectivepilot openings 154,156 of the cam 150. The cam 150 has a downwardlyfacing cam surface 158 which is angled relative to the pivot axis 112and which faces the opening 140. A second cam member 160 is coupled tothe bracket 120. For example, bracket 120 may have an upwardly extendingcam supporting post 162 which is positioned within a post receivingopening 164 of cam 160. One or more fasteners, such as knurled setscrews 166 with a recessed hex shaped wrench receiving opening, may bethreaded into cam 160 and against post 162 to prevent relative rotationof cam 160 and the post 164. These set screws can be loosened, to permitrotation of the door to center the door in the doorway, and thenretightened. Cam 160 has an upwardly facing cam surface 168. The upperend of cam 160 is positioned within a lower portion of passageway 104when the door is assembled. The cam surfaces 158,168 are oriented suchthat, when a downwardly applied biasing force is exerted against cam150, the cam surfaces 158,168 are urged into a position as shown in FIG.9 with the cam surfaces 158,168 parallel to and abutting one another.The cams 150,160 are desirably positioned relative to spine 100 suchthat, when in this position, the door is in a closed position within thedoorway.

A stop 170 is sized for insertion through opening 142 and into an upperportion of the passageway 104. The stop 170 is mounted within thepassageway, such as by respective screws 172,174 which are threadedthrough the spine 100 and into pilot openings 176,178 of the stop 170.The upper end of stop 170 faces the opening 142 and is spaced from theopening. A plug 180 is coupled to the bracket 130. For example, bracket130 may have a support post 182 which projects downwardly from bracketportion 134 when the bracket is installed. The upper end portion of plug180 may have a passageway 184 sized for receiving the post 182 wheninserted therein. Plug 180 may be free to move upwardly and downwardlyon the post 182. A lower portion of the plug 180 extends into passageway104 through opening 142 when the hinge is assembled. A biasing spring,such as a coil spring 190, is positioned between the lower end portionof plug 180 and the upper end portion of stop 170. At least one spacer,and more desirably two spacers (unnumbered in FIG. 9), are positionedbetween the upper end of spring 190 and the lower end of plug 180 andthe lower end of spring 190 and the upper end of stop 170.

As the door pivots about the pivot axis 112 from a closed position, thedoor raises upwardly as the lowermost portion of cam surface 158 ridesupwardly along cam surface 168. This action compresses the coil spring190 and produces a biasing force acting to pivot the door in theopposite direction. Hinge components 150,160,170 and 180 are typicallymade of a durable material. For example, component 160 may be ofstainless steel while components 150, 170 and 180 may be of ultrahighmolecular weight polyethylene. Other materials may also be used.

FIGS. 10-19 illustrate an embodiment of a mold usable in manufacturing adoor of the form shown in FIG. 1, such as using rotational moldingtechniques. The mold components are typically made of a heat-conductingmaterial such as aluminum.

With reference to FIG. 10, a mold assembly 200 is illustrated with amold cover 202 and a mold base 204. The mold has a peripheral edgeportion 206 which extends about the entire perimeter of the mold.Various mechanisms may be utilized for assuring registry of the moldsections prior to molding a door. For example, in the FIGS. 10 and 11constructions, the mold base has an outwardly extending peripheralprojection 208 which extends about the periphery of the mold (exceptalong the leading edge of the mold if a gasket retainer structure isused as explained below) and which is positioned within acorrespondingly shaped recess 210 in the mold cover 202. This is shownin greater detail in FIGS. 12, 13, 17 and 18.

In addition, bumper-defining projections may be formed in the respectivesurfaces of the mold and project outwardly from the mold surfaces. InFIGS. 10 and 11, the bumper defining mold portions have been identifiedwith a “prime” designation corresponding to the respective bumpers ofthe door of FIGS. 1 and 2 which are made by the mold portion. Thus, amold section 30′ is used to make bumper 30; a mold section 30 a′ is usedto make a mold bumper 30 a; a mold section 32′ is used to make a bumper32; and a mold section 32 a′ is used to make a door bumper 32 a.

In embodiments where a window opening is to be formed during the moldingprocess, a window-defining portion 230 may be included in the mold. Theperiphery of the window may be defined (see FIGS. 17 and 19) by a windowperiphery defining mold portion which bounds the eventual windowperiphery. One section of the window periphery defining portion of themold is indicated at 232 in FIGS. 17 and 19. Again, for registrationpurposes, interfitting connections may be included between mold sections202 and 204. In the FIGS. 17 and 19 examples, the portion of the moldbounding the eventual window periphery includes a peripheral ridge 236projecting upwardly from mold base 204. Ridge 236 interfits acorresponding peripheral recess 238 defined in mold cover 208 in aposition to receive projection 236. The respective mold base 204 isstepped at 240 (FIG. 19) and the mold cover 202 is stepped at 242 (FIG.19) to provide a window periphery which is of reduced thickness at thisstepped location to accommodate the gasket 42 (FIG. 1) used inassembling the window to the door.

The leading edge portion of the mold is shown to the right-hand side ofFIGS. 12 and 17. The right-hand portions of FIGS. 14 and 19 are enlargedversions of FIGS. 12 and 17 which form the leading edge portion of thedoor. In door constructions where a gasket retainer 60 is to be includedin the finished door during the molding process, the leading edgeportions of the door-forming mold may be designed to accommodate asupport which holds the gasket retainer 60 in place. More specifically,in FIGS. 14 and 19, a gap 250 is provided between mold sections 202 and204 along the leading edge. In addition, an elongated recess 252 isprovided along the length of the leading edge of mold section 202.Recess 252 overlies an elongated recess 254 provided along the leadingedge portion of the mold section 204. An elongated retainer support 270is provided. Support 270 has an enlarged elongated center section 272sized for positioning within the respective recesses 252,254 of moldsections 202,204. In addition, support 270 has an outwardly projectingflange portion 274 sized to fit within and close an outer gap section275 of gap 250 between mold sections 202,204 and for clamping by suchmold sections. In addition, support 270 includes an inwardly projectingflange section 276 sized for positioning within an inward gap section277 of the gap 250. Flange 276 closes the gap section 277 at thelocation of the leading edge of the door which is to be molded. Aninwardly projecting elongated retainer supporting flange 280 projectsinwardly from the inward edge of flange 276. Flange 280 is sized to fitsnuggly between the legs 62,64 of retainer 60 when the retainer isshifted from the position shown in FIG. 15 (with the mold sections202,204 open) to the position shown in FIG. 16. The retainer 60 is thensupported by the flange 280. With this construction, when the moldsections are closed, the retainer 60 is supported at the appropriateposition within the mold for capture by the leading edge section of themold during the molding process.

Like the other mold components, mold piece 270 may be of a durable heatconducting material, such as aluminum.

The present invention is not limited to a mold of the type shown inFIGS. 10-19, but these figures illustrate a desirable mold construction.For example, multi-section molds may be used instead of a simplifiedtwo-piece mold with an optional retainer support. In addition, otherforms of bumper projections may be included and defined by the mold.

Having illustrated and described the principles of our invention withreference to several embodiments, it should be apparent that theseembodiments may be modified without departing from the principles of ourinvention, which are set forth in the claims below. We claim allinventions which fall within the spirit and scope of the followingclaims.

1-25. (canceled)
 26. A door for mounting within a doorway so as to pivotabout an upright pivot axis, the door comprising: first and second panelsections each of which comprises a trailing edge portion; a spacerdisposed at least in part between the trailing edge portion of saidfirst and second panel sections; an elongated spine, the spine defininga channel for receiving at least a portion of the trailing edge portionof the first and second panel sections, the spine defining first andsecond hinge openings which communicate with respective first and secondelongated hinge receiving spine pocket portions, wherein the secondhinge opening faces upwardly and the first hinge opening facesdownwardly and with the second hinge opening being above the first hingeopening when the door is installed; a first cam member sized forinsertion through the first hinge opening and into the first hingereceiving pocket with the first cam member being mounted within thefirst hinge receiving pocket, the first cam member having a first camsurface which is angled relative to the pivot axis and which faces thefirst hinge opening; a first door installation bracket adapted formounting to a lower portion of the doorway; a second cam member coupledto the first bracket, the second cam member having a second cam surfacewhich is angled relative to the pivot axis, a portion of the second cammember being inserted through the first hinge opening and into the firsthinge pocket with the respective first and second cam surfaces facingone another; a stop sized for insertion through the second hinge openingand into the second hinge-receiving pocket, the stop being mountedwithin the second hinge-receiving pocket; a second door installationbracket adapted for mounting to an upper portion of the doorway; a plugcoupled to the second bracket, a portion of the plug being insertedthrough the second hinge opening and into the second hinge opening; abiasing spring positioned within the second hinge-receiving pocket andbetween the stop and plug, the biasing spring being adapted to apply abiasing force through the spine to the first and second cam members;whereby upon pivoting of the door about the pivot axis, the upper andlower cam surfaces are pivoted relative to one another to create a gapbetween such surfaces with the biasing spring urging the upper and lowercam surfaces toward one another following pivoting of the door.
 27. Adoor according to claim 26 wherein the first bracket comprises a firstsupport post which is oriented to project upwardly when the firstbracket is installed in the doorway, the second cam member defining afirst support post receiving opening with the first support post beinginserted into the first post receiving opening, the second cam memberbeing connected to the lower bracket to thereby mount the second cammember to the lower bracket, and wherein the second bracket comprises asecond support post which is oriented to project downwardly when thesecond bracket is installed in the doorway, the plug defining a secondsupport post receiving opening positioned to receive the second supportpost to thereby couple the plug to the second bracket.
 28. A dooraccording to claim 27 wherein the biasing spring comprises a coil springwith first and second end portions, the first end portion of the coilspring being below the second end portion of the coil spring when thedoor is installed in the doorway, the door further comprising at leastone spacer between the stop and first end portion of the coil spring andat least one spacer between the second end portion coil of the coilspring and the plug.
 29. A method of making a door comprising: molding adoor shell comprising first and second panel sections each with aleading edge portion and a trailing edge portion, the first and secondpanel sections also comprising top and bottom edge portions with atleast one set of edge portions of the first and second panel sectionsbeing joined together during molding of the door shell, the act ofmolding also comprising molding a plurality of outwardly projectingelongated bumpers into the first and second panel sections; inserting atleast one spacer at least partially between the first and second panelsections along at least a portion of the trailing edge of the respectivefirst and second panel sections; and positioning at least one closuremember along at least a portion of one of the set of top edges and theset of bottom edges of the first and second panel sections.
 30. A methodaccording to claim 29 comprising the act of trimming the trailing edgeportions of the first and second panel sections to establish the widthof the door and the act of inserting the at least one spacer isaccomplished following the trimming of the trailing edge portions.
 31. Amethod according to claim 30 comprising the act of positioning the atleast one closure member only along the top edges of the respectivefirst and second panel sections with the positioning of the at least oneclosure member being accomplished following the trimming of the upperedges of the first and second panel sections to establish the height ofthe door.
 32. A method according to claim 31 further comprising the actof installing a gasket along the leading edge of the door and a hingecoupling spine along the trailing edge of the door.
 33. A method ofmaking a door comprising: molding a door shell comprising first andsecond panel sections each with a leading edge portion and a trailingedge portion, the first and second panel sections also comprising topand bottom edge portions with at least one set of edge portions of thefirst and second panel sections being joined together during molding ofthe door shell; and the method further comprising the act of trimming atleast one set of the trailing edge portions and leading edge portions ofthe first and second panel sections to adjust the width of the doorshell and positioning at least one first closure member along at least aportion of the set of trimmed edges.
 34. A method according to claim 33wherein the act of trimming comprises the act of trimming only the setof trailing edge portions of the first and second panel sections toadjust the width of the door shell.
 35. A method according to claim 33comprising the act of trimming at least one set of the top and bottomedge portions of the first and second panel sections to adjust theheight of the door shell and positioning at least one second closuremember along at least a portion of the set of trimmed edges.
 36. Amethod according to claim 35 comprising the act of trimming only the topedge portions of the first and second panel sections to adjust theheight of the door shell.
 37. A method according to claim 34 comprisingthe act of trimming only the top edge portions of the first and secondpanel sections to adjust the height of the door shell.
 38. A method ofmaking a door comprising: molding a door shell comprising first andsecond panel sections each with a leading edge portion and a trailingedge portion, the first and second panel sections also comprising topand bottom edge portions with at least one set of edge portions of thefirst and second panel sections being joined together during molding ofthe door shell; and the method further comprising the act of trimming atleast one set of the top and bottom edge portions of the first andsecond panel sections to adjust the height of the door shell andpositioning at least one first closure member along at least a portionof the set of trimmed edges.
 39. (canceled)